Category Archives: awards

The University of Florida came under fire over the weekend, after recordings taken during the school’s year-end commencement ceremony went viral amongst members of the public who grew outraged over the way they saw some of the Black graduates being treated.

Many of the roughly 10,000 fresh-faced alumni who crossed the Exactech Arena stage at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Sunday (May 6), did so in style, with some stopping to pose for awkward selfies, others doing dance moves, skips, and flips, and one gentleman even kneeling down to propose to his girlfriend. There were also several instances in which the ceremony’s marshall got rough while moving to rush exuberant grads off – and in each of those cases, the students happened to be Black.

Myesha Senior had plans to celebrate before her Jamaican flag-waving family by doing a Usain Bolt dash pose, but the moment was ruined when she was suddenly manhandled by the marshall. “I tried to do it really fast. I saw the guy coming toward me … and when he pushed me, I almost fell, and I caught myself. But he pushed me so far that I passed the lady’s hand that I was supposed to shake,” she reportedly told The Washington Post of the moment.

Similar actions were taken against Nafeesah Attah, who was nearly knocked over while going to flash a Delta Sigma Theta hand gesture, and to Oliver Telusma, who wound up having to wrap his arms around the marshall to keep from tipping over due to the way he was rushing him along.

University President Kent Fuchs would later take to Twitter to apologize. He has also contacted each of the alum seen in the videos to express his regrets personally. Fuchs confirms that the marshall is being investigated.

Some people are very different from the characters they play on television. Secret agents, scientists, murders, and politicians are easy to play, but the actors that play them separate from the role after leaving the set. Hafþór Björnsson is the same massive monster in real life that he is on television though.

Being the strongest man in the world is definitely an honor. Hafþór Björnsson, who plays “The Mountain” on Game of Thrones, has stepped up to take that honor in several categories. Much like his monstrous character on HBO’s most successful show, Björnsson is a beast to behold. He stands at a moderate six foot and 9 inches but weighs a gargantuan 397 pounds.

Björnsson competed in the 2018 Arnold Strongman Classic, and he set a world record for the raw deadlift with a 1,041-pound lift. That’s roughly half the weight of a sedan. The weightlifting classic event is named after Arnold Schwarzenegger. Björnsson will prepare for Europe’s Strongest Man competition next, and then the world championships in May.

Bjornsson also broke the weight over bar world record. Game of Thrones will return for its final season next year, and hopefully, he can translate some of his real-world success into surviving the winter.

Following a four-day stretch that saw the film accrue the fifth highest-grossing opening in box office history, Black Panther has made its mark as a critical success by swiftly surpassing The Wizard Of Oz as the number one movie of all time on Rotten Tomatoes.

According to the popular movie review site’s ‘Adjusted Score’ ranking formula, the red-hot Marvel Studios production has already amassed a quantitative/qualitative mix of reviews that boosts it above such old school and contemporary classics as Citizen Kane, The Godfather, Get Out and Moonlight.

While a number of the titles listed on the Rotten Tomatoes’ 100 movies of all time list actually rate higher than the 97% that Black Panther is sitting at, they do not combine the number of reviews and the percentage of positive reviews among them to rank above the Ryan Coogler film.

The acclaim that Black Panther has been receiving comes amidst countless headlines reporting on the ridiculous $242 million domestic and $427 million international draw that it scored over the weekend. With the insurmountable success that the production has delivered many are now predicting the impact, it will have on society and what it will mean for Black actors and directors in the industry going forward.

In a year when the nominees were more eclectic and adventurous, the safe bets prevailed at the 60th Grammy Awards.

All of the night’s most coveted awards went to Bruno Mars, for his funk-infused 24K Magic, which won Album of the Year, and the songs “24K Magic” and “That’s What I Like,” which won Record and Song of the year, respectively. Mars cleaned up in four other categories as well: Best R&B Performance, Best R&B Album, Best R&B Song and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, making him the year’s most decorated artist.

The night started out looking like it could go in a different direction. After new nomination review committees were implemented in June 2017 for the fields of rap, contemporary instrumental and new age to diversify the nominee pool, hip-hop vet Jay Z walked into the Garden with the most nominations of any artist. Although he was awarded the Industry Icon Award before the televised awards, he lost all eight Grammys for which he was nominated. In the hip-hop categories, all four of those losses came at the benefit of Kendrick Lamar, who started the evening as the second-most nominated artist. His poetic yet pop-appeasing fourth studio album, DAMN. (which was named NPR Music’s best album of 2017), won five awards but lost two of the night’s three biggest prizes to Mars.

“You guys are the reason I’m in the studio pulling my hair out,” Mars said to his competitors in the audience when accepting the award for Album of the Year. That speech capped a night when Mars managed a rare sweep of the major awards, a feat also accomplished last year, when Adele beat Beyoncé — Jay Z’s wife — in each of the major categories.

There were numerous nods to the East Coast location of New York City at this year’s ceremony. The 2018 awards marked the first time in 15 years that the Grammys have been held in New York, and there was plenty of star power packed into Madison Square Garden. But while the location may have been touted as historic, there were plenty of missed opportunities to make actual Grammy history.

If Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s smash hit “Despacito” had won Song or Record of the year, it would have marked the first time a Spanish-language track won in either category. It lost in every category in which it was nominated.

R&B sensation SZA was the most nominated woman of the night but lost all five awards for which she was nominated, including Best New Artist, which was won by Alessia Cara.

While the unspoken theme at last year’s Grammys was timidly political, the elephant in the room this year dissolved early in the night into the form of dainty white roses, as many on the Grammys red carpet — Lady Gaga, Sam Smith, Lana Del Rey and more — wore flowers with their Grammy ensembles to show solidarity and compassion for victims of sexual harassment and the #TimesUp movement.

Though the nod to the movement organized by record executives Meg Harkins and Karen Rait was visible during the pre-show, it barely got any acknowledgement during the first half of the telecast. Lady Gaga was the only performer of the night to work the words “Time’s up” into her set. But past the midway point, before announcing a performance by Kesha, Janelle Monae took the moment to wave the flag of sisterhood.

“We come in peace, but we means business,” Monae said defiantly. “And to those who would dare try to silence us, we say, ‘Time’s up.’ … Just as we have the power to shape culture we also have the power to undo the culture that does not serve us.”

Then, for her emotional rendition of “Praying,” Kesha was joined on stage by Cyndi Lauper, Camila Cabello, Bebe Rexha, Julia Michels, Andra Day and the Resistance Revival Chorus. The moment was genuine, angelic and exultant, blowing away virtually every other performance of the night.

But when it came time to actually award Kesha’s efforts, the Grammys did not give her a prize in either Best Pop Solo Performance or Best Pop Vocal Album, the two categories in which she was nominated. In the former category, included on the telecast, her fellow nominees included Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga and Pink — all women who have sung about sexual assault or worked with Dr. Luke, the songwriter and producer accused by Kesha of abuse — as well as Ed Sheeran. The award was won by Sheeran, for his hit “Shape of You.”

Alas, dangling the carrot of more courageous Grammy winners above the nose of music fans proved to be yet another party trick.

Morgan Freeman will be the 54th recipient of the SAG Life Achievement Award for his career achievement and humanitarian accomplishments. The award, which will be presented at the 24th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on January 21, 2018, is SAG-AFTRA’s highest honor.

“I am thrilled to announce Morgan Freeman as this year’s recipient of the SAG Life Achievement Award. Some actors spend their entire careers waiting for the perfect role. Morgan showed us that true perfection is what a performer brings to the part,” said SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris. “He is innovative, fearless and completely unbound by expectations. As a chauffeur, convicted murderer, boxing gym attendant, pimp or president, Morgan fully realized every character, baring their souls and showcasing their humanity. It has been a privilege to see his genius at work.”

Freeman, who began acting at age 12, has appeared in nearly 100 films, which together have earned over $4.5 billion at the box office. His credits include “Million Dollar Baby,” which earned him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar; “Unforgiven”, and “The Shawshank Redemption,” for which he received Best Actor nominations for a SAG Award, Oscar and a Golden Globe. Other credits include “Street Smart,” his 1987 breakthrough role, “Invictus,” “The Dark Knight,” “The Bucket List,” “Glory,” “Lean on Me,” “Se7en,” “Amistad,” “Bruce Almighty,” and “Along Came a Spider.” He most recently starred in Warner Bros.’ Going In Style, Paramount Pictures’ Ben-Hur, Summit Entertainment’s “Now You See Me 2” and Focus Features’ “London Has Fallen.” Freeman’s upcoming films include Broad Green Pictures’ “Villa Capri” and Disney’s “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.”

With one of the world’s most recognizable voices, Freeman was the voice of two Oscar-winning documentaries: “The March of the Penguins” and “The Long Way Home.”

Freeman first became nationally known in 1971 when he starred in the Children’s Television Workshop’s “The Electric Company,” for which he created characters including the iconic Easy Reader. He is currently an executive producer of “Madam Secretary” for CBS, and hosts and is an executive producer for the Science Channel series “Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman,” which recently completed its seventh season. He also hosted the event series “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman” on the National Geographic Channel, and will next host “The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman,” which premieres October 11 on the National Geographic Channel.

His philanthropic work includes support for Artists for a New South Africa and the Campaign for Female Education – organizations working to create hope and better lives for thousands of people. In 1973, he co-founded the Frank Silvera Writers’ Workshop, now in its 37th season, which supports and nurtures promising African American playwrights to ensure those voices can be heard.

Rapper, actor, and movie producer Ice Cube received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday (June 12) in front of the Musicians Institute on Hollywood Boulevard. Cube was joined by N.W.A. members Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, and MC Ren, who posted a photo on his Twitter with the caption, “Congratulations to @icecube getting his star in Hollywood. Today was a good day.”

Ice Cube, whose real name is O’Shea Jackson, first appeared on the scene with the West Coast rap group N.W.A. in the late 1980s. In 1990, he released his first studio album AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted after leaving the group for a solo career.

Cube began his acting career in the 1991 film “Boyz n the Hood,” and later appeared in the hit movie “Friday.” He directed the 1998 film, “The Players Club.” He, later on, switched gears appearing in movies like “Barbershop,” “Are We There Yet?” and the “Ride Along” franchises, which he also produced. He was also a producer of the 2015 N.W.A. biopic “Straight Outta Compton.”

Ice Cube, now 47, received the 2,614th star since the completion of the Walk of Fame in 1961 with the first 1,558 stars.

The ceremony comes just three days after the release of the 25th-anniversary edition of his second album “Death Certificate,” which includes three new songs.